Where is the Autumn Budget 2019?

Posted 30/10/2019

From 2017, each Autumn the Chancellor of the Exchequer publishes an Autumn Budget statement which details the plans for Government funding and spending intentions based on the economy of the United Kingdom over the upcoming year. Before 2017 the budget was released only in the Spring, which has now become the Spring Statement. The Autumn Budget can also contain information on planned changes to tax collection and taxation rules which would affect the country in the upcoming year, whether they affect companies or self-assessment individuals. Usually these tax changes are announced a year before implementation to allow for software providers and users to update their systems.

The intended date for the 2019 delivery was the 6th November 2019. Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, wants a general election to be held on the 12 December 2019 which would require a dissolution of Parliament 25 working days before this date. To achieve this, Parliament would need to dissolve on the 6th November itself. Therefore, the Budget Statement for Autumn 2019 has been cancelled.

On the afternoon of the 28th October 2019 there was a vote under the Fixed-Term Parliament Plan held among MPs as to whether a general election should be held. Most MPs who voted were against having a general election in December. This has not deterred Johnson’s want for a general election, and he pushed again to have a general election before 2020. Usually general elections in the UK are held on the first Thursday of May every 5 years. For the first general election request to have passed, two thirds of the MPs must have voted in favour.

Johnson’s next plan is a one-line bill for MPs to vote on for a general election at some time in the second week of December. Alternate dates being mentioned are the 9th and 11th December with MPs voicing concerns over Christmas preparations and student availability. An election day of the 9th December would prevent Mr Johnson from pushing his Brexit deal through Parliament. We now know, after a one-off bill on the 29th October, that a general election will be held on the 12th December that the public will need to prepare for.

A point raised for the upcoming and potential general election is whether teenagers from the age of 16 and up should be allowed to vote in England. Teenagers of these ages can already vote in Wales and Scotland, and it has been argued that the same ages ranges in England should be allowed to vote. This point was made alongside concerns that a December election would affect the public’s abilities to vote among one of the busiest times of the year.

This doesn’t mean that Brexit planning has been pushed to the back bench. The UK now has a Brexit leaving date of the 31st January 2020 as the Prime Minister’s Brexit deal was rejected by MPs earlier this month and urged Johnson to request an extension from the European Union. A condition of a no-deal Brexit has been agreed upon as put forward by Jeremy Corbyn, and the general public’s opinions towards political parties will be influenced by the Brexit debate.

Tags: Government, News, Autumn Budget 2019, Updates